AARTESRTES LLIBERALESIBERALESThe Newsletter of the Liberal Arts

Winter 2009 Vol. II, No. II

Greetings, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. The winter break was indeed restful but there’s no easy way to transition back into the busy hum of the semester. Along with many of our faculty, I’ll spend many, many hours over the coming months speaking with candidates who have come to campus to interview for one of more than 18 faculty openings in the School of Arts & Sciences. This particular issue of Artes Liber-ales reminds me of just why being on the faculty here is so special and why we take the hiring process so seriously. Faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences has long shared an equal commitment to both teaching and research. Stories like Ellis West’s (page 3) and Ladelle McWhorter’s (page 4) hammer that point home. But as we’ve moved

forward over the last several decades, working at Richmond has come to mean something else as well. Stories like Amy Howard’s (on page 10) un-derscore our faculty’s commitment to community engagement in the Greater Richmond area and stories like Carlos Valencia’s (see page 12) emphasize the global awareness we expect professors to foster in our students. Knowing that we have the kind of faculty who are equally committed to teaching, research, community engage-ment, and making global connections makes my job easy. The School of Arts & Sciences remains a remarkable place

for students to learn and an exceptional place for new faculty to come to work.

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Andrew F. Newcomb

Dean of the School of Arts & SciencesUniversity of Richmond

Andrew F. NewcombDean

Dona HickeySenior Associate Dean, Faculty Development

Kathy HokeAssociate Dean, Research Support

Scott JohnsonAssociate DeanDirector, Academic Advising Resource Center

Susan Kaye O’NeilAssociate DeanProgram and Resource Development

Joseph BoehmanAssociate DeanDean of Richmond College

Juliette L. LandphairAssociate DeanDean of Westhampton College

Artes Liberales is published three times a year for faculty, staff, students, and friends of the School of Arts & Sci-ences at the University of Richmond.

Electronic issues of Artes Liberales can be found online at http://as.richmond.edu

Director of CommunicationsRachel Beanland

Communications AssistantGiavanna Palermo

Send story ideas or comments to gpalermo@richmond.edu.

Cover photo courtesy of Karen DeBonis, ’10, taken in Seville, Spain.

School of Arts & Sciences Mission

To explore the liberal arts through intellectual inquiry, shared investigation, and creativity, thereby fostering a community whose members pursue knowledge for its intrinsic value and its contributions to professions, society and the world.

Jeff Zheng, ‘11, shares the results of his summer research project with Henry Nebel and John Wimbush at the HHMI Science Symposium on September 19, 2008.

Anyone who has been a political sci-ence major at Richmond in the last 40 years, has most likely had a class with Ellis West. Political science majors are required to take a course in political theory, and though the department of-fers three different courses on the sub-ject, they’re all taught by West. Simul-taneously imposing and grandfatherly, West is known for keeping his students on their toes but always being fair. West has been teaching at Rich-mond for 40 years, but his days on the campus go further back still—he gradu-ated from Richmond College in 1958, a history and English double major intent on attending law school. After a stint at Yale University Divin-ity School on a Rockefeller Scholar-ship and a few months at New York University School of Law, West fi nally found a way to marry his interests in church and state. He earned a doctor-ate in interdisciplinary studies from Emory University, studying religion and government. His background, even without the law degree he’d set his heart on as a student at Richmond, makes him uniquely qualifi ed to teach the Univer-sity’s undergraduate course in constitu-tional law. “I teach my students as much as they would be taught in law school,” said West, who leaned back and smiled before adding, “without being cruel.” He uses the Socratic method to test the

class on Supreme Court case rulings and is known to have a knack for grill-ing students without being merciless. “You always wanted to do your best for him” said political science major Caroline Keene, ’08, who took both constitutional law and political theory with West. “He brings so much enthusi-asm to class, so it’s rewarding to rise to the occasion.” “I start every theory class by asking ‘Are you convinced?’” West said. “It’s most important that my students can question and even criticize the ideas of these thinkers.” He believes his theory classes help political science students see the big picture. “I see students getting bogged down in the ‘trees’ of studying the details of state and local government,” said West. “Theory looks at fundamental ques-tions and helps them to see the forest.”

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Political science professor Ellis West schools students in political theory and constitutional law, thanks to tangled interests in church and state

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Sixteen years ago, philosophy profes-sor Ladelle McWhorter published a book, Heidegger and the Earth: Essays in Environmental Philosophy, composed of six papers that focused on technology and its environmental impact. Her own contribution was a paper examining German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s practice of consideringenvironmental issues without necessarily proposing solutions. Years after the book went out of print, her paper began catching the attention of, oddly enough, high school debaters. Debate students, eager for lit-erature on environmentalism, liked the paper because it presented a method of thinking instead of an argument. “I’d have high school teachers email-ing me for copies of the book, because they couldn’t fi nd it anywhere,” she said. “I even had prospective students want-ing to study with me because of it.” The book’s unexpected following led McWhorter to look for ways to get it back into circulation. She talked to her editor who proposed a second edition with twice as many essays as the fi rst. “The topic is just as relevant now as

it was 16 years ago—if not more,” said McWhorter. “The issues are also more global than we originally perceived.” McWhorter called on her friend Gail Stenstad to co-edit the book, and together, they put out an international call for papers. Work by a former U.S. diplomat and that by a young scholar from the Philippines who had read the fi rst edition as a student were among the accepted papers. While reviewing submissions, McWhorter and Stenstad wrote one of their own. Sitting on McWhorter’s front porch, typing as they talked, the women discussed the importance of refl ect-ing deeply on the most basic patterns of life, such as what we eat and the assumptions we make about food. The dialogue became, “Eating Ereignis, or : Conversation on a Suburban Lawn.” The 13-paper anthology, still titled Heidegger and the Earth, is due out in September 2009 but McWhorter made sure the University’s debate team had an advance copy. “Any scholar, teacher, activist, phi-losopher, or environmentalist, let alone critical theorist or animal rights propo-nent who thinks about who we are as humans and where we live will have to read this book, probably multiple times,” said Richmond debate coach Kevin Kuswa.

Environmental ethicist considers patterns of life from front porch

Psychology major Jamie Blair, ’09, has found that, contrary to what young people may think, there is more to ag-ing than just, well, getting old. Blair, who is earning a concentration in neuroscience, has worked in psychol-ogy professor Jane Berry’s lab since his junior year. His research, which exam-ines the perceived cognitive abilities of older adults, has led him to determine that older adults become experts in aging as they go through the process. “I am comparing the way that younger adults perceive the difference in the cognitive abilities of healthy older adults and older adults with Alzheimer’s and the way that older adults perceive the difference,” said Blair. Last year, Blair helped psychology major Courtney Lee, ‘08, collect data for another age-related experiment on how personality and self-esteem affect memory in older adults versus younger adults. Lee inspired Blair to formulate his

own study. He is now collecting data by administering tests to both college students and adults aged 50-85. Every test subject reads one of two versions of a paragraph about a fairly typical 75-year-old woman. The para-graphs are identical except for the last sentence, which indicates whether she is in good health or has Alzheimer’s. The test subjects then rate her compe-tencies based on her cognitive abilities. “Older adults will make a clear dis-tinction between a healthy 75-year-old and one with Alzheimer’s because they understand the cognitive capabilities of an older person,” said Blair. His hypothesis is that younger adults will rate the woman’s cognitive abilities at the same level, regardless of whether she has Alzheimer’s or not. Next, Blair plans to explore whether other indicators, such as anxiety levels or race, affect the way people view the aging process. He plans to apply to Ph.D. programs in neuropsychology.

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Psychology major compares perceptions of aging among younger and older adults

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Art major + economics major = researching international museum expansion for the Guggenheim Foundation

Perfect Preparation

Students in the School of Arts & Sciences know that their majors, most likely, won’t match up exactly with their careers. In fact, studying the liberal arts is so appealing precisely because students have the freedom to choose career paths that deviate from their de-grees. So imagine ’03 graduate Nicole Courtemanche’s surprise when she came across a job listing that sought a candidate with her precise set of majors—economics and art. Courtemanche, ’03, came to Rich-mond intent on studying the visual arts and began working toward a studio art major during her fi rst year. When she added economics as a second major, af-ter taking the introductory course, the unorthodox pairing made her a student of interest in both disciplines. “I was attracted to the business side of the art world,” said Courteman-

che, who also minored in art history. “My economics research brought to light things I don’t think I would have realized otherwise, like the economic impact of museums and other cultural initiatives on a society.” After graduation, Courtemanche went to work for Boston Art, a corpo-rate art consulting fi rm. She began as the small fi rm’s offi ce administrator, and within a year she was the operations manager, overseeing the fi rm’s gallery and working with artists and clients. “I wore a lot of hats at Boston Art and got great experience because of all the responsibility,” Courtemanche said. She organized the fi rm’s fi rst show and built their fi rst Web site and digital portfolio. In 2005, happy with what she had accomplished in Boston, Courte-manche decided she was ready for a new challenge and moved to New York.

Before Courtemanche and her colleagues determine whether a Guggenheim expansion is warranted, they host a juried architectural competition, like this one in Vilnius, Lithuania, to decide on a design concept.

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It was in New York, while looking for gallery jobs, that Courtemanche came across the listing for a project coordi-nator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The foundation wanted an economics and art double major for a position in the special projects department, specifi cally working with international museum expansion. It was just the break she had been looking for.Courtemanche applied on a Monday and had the job by Wednesday. “The Guggenheim is approached by numerous foreign governments hoping to establish network museums in their countries,” she said. “The requests are narrowed down to a few potential candidates, and my job is to conduct feasibility studies for these regions.” The appeal of a Guggenheim comes from what Courtemanche identifi ed as the “Bilbao Effect.” Located in the Basque Country in northern Spain, the small fi shing village of Bilbao was trans-formed into an internationally known tourist destination after a Guggenheim was built there in 1997. Courtemanche’s fi rst feasibility study was of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. She studied the region and explored every possible ramifi cation of developing a museum there. The study also examined staffi ng, cost models, and economic impact. Proposed architectural design and exhibition programming are the cor-nerstones of every study and also affect the fi nancial analysis. “It’s uncanny how directly my two majors connect to what I do now, especially when I look at the economic impact of the arts on a region,” said Courtemanche. Along with economic

impact, her study looks at how a Guggenheim will affect the region socially and culturally. One of the perks of coordinating international museum expansion is the travel. A few years ago, Courtemanche traveled to Venice as part of a bid to acquire additional space near the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Earlier this year she traveled to Lithuania to com-plete a study on the country’s capital city, Vilnius. Courtemanche collaborated with one of the Guggenheim’s partners, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, to determine how a new contemporary art museum in Vilnius would affect the region. “We held an architectural competi-tion between three widely-known architects for a design concept of the potential museum,” she said. “They all came to Vilnius to present their designs which were displayed at a local gallery. After an international jury selected the winner, the exhibition, which also show-cased our preliminary study fi ndings, was opened to the public.” When talking about international expansion, Courtemanche quotes her director, saying they are not in the business of “selling” the Guggenheim and placing it in another country. Each network museum’s collection is specifi c to its region, and cultural exchange is an integral part of the expansion process. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, for example, is committed to supporting the work of Spanish and Basque artists, and since 1997 several Basque artist retrospectives have been featured at the fl agship in New York. The Abu Dhabi Guggenheim is set to open around 2012.

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First-year college students face new challenges that can make the experi-ence seem overwhelming. At Richmond, like at most universities, the pressure to excel along with demanding school work, a new social scene, and the re-sponsibilities of being on one’s own for the fi rst time, is enough to make many students intent on simply surviving, rather than succeeding, in college. Faculty and staff at Richmond, well aware of these fi rst-year challenges, wanted to create a program that would help students adjust and excel during their fi rst year on campus. Representa-tives from student development and academic affairs met in June of 2007 to discuss the needs, concerns, and goals of fi rst-year students. Roadmap to Suc-cess was born out of that conversation. A joint venture headed by Susan O’Neil, associate dean of program and resource development in the School of Arts & Sciences, and Steve Bisese, vice president for student development, Roadmap is a pre-orientation program

that provides support, learning, and

direction to improve stu-dents’ success

in college and beyond. The

First-

Year Roadmap program launched in the fall of 2008, and O’Neil and Bisese are determined to ultimately unroll similar programs for second-, third-, and fourth-year students as well. “A lot of universities offer fi rst-year programs, but they typically target students who will struggle academically,” O’Neil said. “Roadmap doesn’t target any particular students—it’s open to everyone, and it’s really about how we can increase every student’s success and satisfaction while at Richmond.” Roadmap is designed to give students a consistent four-year experi-ence in a holistic fashion. O’Neil wants students to come out of each program with a plan for the following year. Sixty members of the class of 2012 registered to participate in First-Year Roadmap, which ran for three days prior to orientation. Since faculty interaction is such an important factor in helping students transition to campus life, O’Neil and Bisese recruited four faculty members from the School of Arts & Sciences to advise the unde-clared students in small groups of 12; O’Neil also served as an advisor. “They were an outstanding group of students, really driven to do well,” said journalism professor Mike Spear. The fi ve groups were each organized around a common theme; Spear’s students had all indicated an interest

First-year program launches with 60 students and a big goal—emphasize success over survival

Roadmap to Success

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in writing. All fi ve faculty advisors gave their students an academic assignment in the beginning of the summer and met with them for a few hours each of the three days for a mini-class related to the topic. During the program, faculty inter-action didn’t end at the door of the classroom. Spears and political science professor Dan Palazzolo invited their students over for dinner at their homes, while computer science professor Barry Lawson took his students on a tour of Richmond. The program combined academics with developmental sessions on time management, academic resources, decision-making, and very general career planning. There were also a number of social activities, like bowling and a river cruise, to help the students get to know each other. “It is much easier and more natu-ral to develop friendships—and to strengthen those friendships—when you are continually interacting with a network of people,” said Kim Ray, ’12. “Classes, fun activities, information ses-sions, and down time allowed you to socialize and bond in different ways on different subjects.” “I got acclimated to campus much easier and met a great group of friends before the rest of the freshmen class even arrived on campus,” said Alex Johnson, ’12. “Start-ing out with the Road-map program is one of the best decisions I’ve made.” Though the fi rst part of the program ended when

orientation began, O’Neil and Bisese continue to check in on the students via a series of follow-up sessions O’Neil calls “September Shorts.” Offi ces all over campus, from the Academic Advising Resource Center to Common Ground to the Career Development Center, present at these sessions—helping familiarize students with all the university resources at their disposal. “I wish the program could continue into next semester because everything we did and continue to do is thought-provoking and enriching,” said Ray. “The continued sessions provide some much-needed time to relax and refl ect.” O’Neil and Bisese are fi nalizing plans for Second-Year Roadmap. Just as in the First-Year program, they are identifying challenges that students face in their sophomore year as well as ways to meet and overcome those challenges. The program will further explore the connection between academic majors and careers. Based on the success of the First-Year program, they anticipate even more students will enroll in the Second-Year program, which will mean recruiting more faculty to participate. O’Neil believes that leading a group is a great way for a faculty member to learn

about the student experience fi rsthand. “These aren’t students in crisis—these are intel-

lectually curious students who want to make the most of their time here,” she said. “We just want to give them the resources to

capitalize on their abilities.”

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10 Amy Howard’s idea of a lab is a little different from that of most professors. Her students, like most undergrads who conduct research at Richmond, are expected to make observations, gather data, and draw conclusions. The difference is that their “lab for learning,” as Howard puts it, is the city of Rich-mond, and students are encouraged to study everything from neighborhoods to public transportation to education. Howard, who teaches courses in his-tory and American studies, is the direc-tor of the University’s Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). This fall she is teaching a class called Urban Crisis in America through which she hopes her students will gain a histori-cal understanding of current issues and problems in metropolitan areas. While the class begins with an overview of the nation’s urban history and policies from WWII to the present, Howard wastes no time pointing out to her students that they’re living in a per-fect case study—Virginia’s capital city. “It’s critical to me that my students see Richmond as the city that they’re living in,” she said. “They need to en-gage in the problems and possibilities of being a citizen of this city for the four

years they are here.” Howard’s students compare issues such as racial segregation, population shifts, poverty, suburban sprawl, public housing, and urban renewal in Rich-mond with the same issues in other cities across the country. But the class is not just about learning the history of urban develop-ment—Howard also wants her stu-dents to look for ways to enact change. And rather than simply participate in community service, Howard’s students have the unique opportunity to look for solutions through scholarship. It all begins with a component of the class Howard calls “learning out.” “ ‘Learning out’ is about the students connecting the reading with experi-ences and projects throughout the se-mester,” she said. “We have a class blog that’s open to the public, so that others can be brought into the conversation. It’s a great way to integrate technology and learning beyond the classroom.” Students also fi lm several group documentaries that focus on particular social issues in Richmond. Topics have included homelessness, gentrifi cation in the Jackson Ward area, gangs, HIV/AIDS, and education at Chandler

The City of Richmond: Learning Lab

Middle School. Howard hopes that, through making the documentaries, her students will discover feasible solutions to Richmond’s challenges. “These documentaries are a tool for change, not just reporting,” she said. “The students are looking at what Richmond is doing well and not so well compared to other cities.” The CCE’s staff help students con-nect with government and nonprofi t leaders, helping students see as many different points of view as possible.

“Because of the documentaries, we’re forced to get out and really experience the city and interact with its citizens,” said Julia Czech, ’11. “I’ve attended a Richmond Public School Board meeting and met scholars as well as regular citizens.” “This is the sort of class that will change the way you look at almost every aspect of the country—and it’s not for the faint of heart,” said Michael Rogers, ’11. “Everyone brings a differ-ent perspective to these issues, and it makes for a really unique dialogue.” The course is also notable because it is a part of the University’s new “living and learning” initiative. Howard’s

students applied to participate (40 applicants competed for 17 slots) and they live together in the University’s newest residence hall, Lakeview Hall. The community of scholars, called the Civic Engagement House, is made up of students majoring in disciplines as varied as biology and international studies—their commonality is a shared passion for social justice. “We’re like a little family!” said Czech. “Because of the living and learn-ing aspect of the class, we’re more comfortable bringing up what might otherwise be considered slightly taboo subjects and we’re able to express our views.” The class has taken part in several projects and activities together that Howard says have created a healthy, fun, and cohesive environment for students. Activities have ranged from weekend service projects to a bus tour of Richmond designed specifi cally for them. The class attended a mayoral de-bate together and completed a poverty simulation in order to understand how hard it is to be poor in the U.S. They of-ten get together, Howard included, for meals and study breaks. In January, the class will invite the public to screen their documentaries at a special premiere. The fi lms will serve as evidence of the students’ intense research over the course of the fall se-mester and will also be a call to action for those at the screening. “You have to fully delve into social problems in historical context in order to generate ideas for change,” said Howard. “I think my students have had the chance to do just that.”

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Above: Students gather for lunch at a downtown eatery after taking a personalized tour of the City of Richmond.

“For a summer study abroad expe-rience, it can be diffi cult fi nding the balance between a rigorous academic program and one that allows students to enjoy the region and the culture,” said professor Carlos Valencia, director of the Language Across the Curriculum Program at Richmond. For the past three summers, Valencia has led a fi ve-week study abroad trip to Seville, Spain that gives students the opportunity to complete Richmond coursework, experience life in Seville, and travel the region, all while being completely immersed in the language. What distinguishes the Seville program from other study abroad programs is the Standards-based Mea-surement of Profi ciency (STAMP) test, which every student takes both before and after going to Spain. The test as-sesses the students’ ability to write, speak and understand the language. “Culture is embedded in language,”

said Valencia, who reported that the results of the STAMP tests have shown signifi cant improvement each year. “With the help of my host mom and brother, I became really comfortable speaking Spanish in public,” said Kenny Graves, ’09, who went on the trip last year. “I felt like I actually had a com-mand of the language.” Students take up to two classes at EUSA, a private school affi liated with the University of Seville. Courses are taught by EUSA professors and Valencia himself, and grades transfer straight back to Richmond. To make the experience authentic, Valencia connects them with student liaisons from the University of Seville. Each weekend, the group travels to cultural attractions around the region, including Granada and Madrid. “Our small, tight knit group really got to know a lot about Spanish language, culture, and history together,” said Meredith Miller, ’09. “It was perfect to end our time with the fabulous trip to Madrid.”

Spanish professor leads trip to Seville

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Arts & Sciences Faculty Accomplishments

David Leary [University Professor] published an invited commentary, “Blindness, Vision, and the Good Life for All,” on Vanderbilt philosopher John Lach’s 2007 Presidential Address to the William James Society, in William James Studies.

Joe Essid [English] served as “In-World Coordinator” for the EDUCAUSE 2008 session on Virtual Worlds in Edu-cation, attended by 40 educators and I.T. executives from around the world using a virtual-reality auditorium inside Second Life.

Stephen Addiss [art history] gave talks this fall on “Daruma Images” at the Crow Collection Museum in Dallas, on “The Transformation of Zen Painting in Japan” at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and on “Japanese Calligraphy” at the Morikami Museum in Florida. He also took part in a private art perfor-mance of a John Cage composition at the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio in New York City.

Ted Bunn [physics] had two papers accepted for publication in The Physical Review D and The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, both with undergraduate co-authors.

Mari Lee Mifsud [rhetoric and com-munications studies] had a paper, “On Rhetoric As Gift/Giving,” accepted for publication in Philosophy and Rhetoric.

Tanja Softic [Art] exhibited her work at Richmond’s Page Bond Gallery.

Mavis Brown [education] traveled to Moscow, Russia in June 2008 to present a paper, “Early childhood education in America: consistencies and contradic-tions” at the Association of Childhood Education World Conference.

Paul Achter [rhetoric and communica-tion studies] had a paper, “Comedy in unfunny times: News parody and carnival after 9/11,” published in Critical Studies in Media Communication earlier this year.

Rick Mayes [political science], Catherine Bagwell [psychology], and Jennifer Erkulwater [political science] co-authored a book, Medicating Children: ADHD and Pediatric Mental Health, which will be published by Harvard University Press in January 2009.

Bill Myers [chemistry] had a paper, “Synthesis of 1-Oxadecalins from Anisole Promoted by Tungsten,” pub-lished in the The Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Brian Henry [English] received a translation grant from the Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Jennifer Nourse [anthropology] had a paper, “Rogue Kings and Divine Queens in Central Sulawesi and Guinea-Bissau,” published in Indonesia and the Malay World.

Robert Hodierne [journalism] won the London Foreign Press Association’s top award in radio for his work on the documentary, My Lai Tapes.

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FEBRUARY

MARCH

January 19 @ 7:30 p.m.Camp Concert Hall, Booker Hall of MusicJames Weaver and music department faculty member Joanne Kong perform Schubert’s Win-terreise (Free Concert Series)

January 29 @ 8 p.m.Brown-Alley Room, Weinstein HallAmerican poet and memoirist Katy Lederer reads from her work (Writers’ Series)

January 30 @ 7:30 p.m.Camp Concert Hall, Booker Hall of MusicThe University of Richmond Schola Cantorum along with the Richmond Symphony and the James River Singers perform “Music in Times of Civil Unrest” (Free Concert Series)

March 16Camp Concert Hall, Booker Hall of MusicMusic department faculty members perform Madrigals of love and War by Claudio Monteverdi(Free Concert Series)

March 22 @ 3 p.m.The classical studies department hosts Janice Siegel of Hampden-Sydney College to give an illustrated lecture on “The Classical Side of Tennessee Williams”

March 23 @ 7 p.m.Brown-Alley Room, Weinstein HallIsraeli novelist and fi lmmaker Etgar Keret, winner of the Israeli Film Academy Award and the Prime Minister’s Prize, gives a talk (Writers’ Series)

March 30 @ 8 p.m.Brown-Alley Room, Weinstein HallInternationally acclaimed poet and dramatist Paul Muldoon reads from his work. Muldoon has won both the Pulitzer Prize and the T.S. Eliot Prize for his poetry.

February 19 @ 8 p.m.Brown-Alley Room, Weinstein HallAward-winning Irish poet Vona Groarke reads from her work (Writers’ Series)

February 27 & 28 @ 7:30 p.m. March 1 @ 2 p.m.Alice Jepson TheatreDirected by Myra Daleng, the University Dancers give their Annual Spring Concert, “Imagine”

Visit http:// as.richmond.edu for the School of Arts & Sciences’ full calendar of events.

Modlin Center for the ArtsCalendar at http://modlin.richmond.edu/University MuseumsCalendar at http://museums.richmond.edu/

February 5 @ 8 p.m. Brown-Alley Room, Weinstein HallAmerican poet and Pushcart Prize winner Jennifer Atkinson reads from her work (Writers’ Series)

February 6 @ 7:30 p.m.Gottwald AuditoriumThe chemistry department hosts Timothy Swager, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who will give the department’s annual Powell Lecture

February 8 @ 3 p.m.Jepson Hall Room 118The classical studies department hosts Daniel McCaffrey of Randolph-Macon College who will give an illustrated lecture on “Classic(al) Covers From the New Yorker”

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Name: Hannah Neilson, ’08Major: Economics (B.A.)Minors: Art HistoryHometown: Portland, M.E.

What made you decide to earn the Bachelor of Arts in economics, as opposed to the Bachelor of Science offered through the Robins School of Business?

I came to Richmond because of the liberal arts and I was never sold on taking classes in only one subject. I knew, as a student of the liberal arts, I’d be well prepared for whatever career I went into, so I didn’t feel I needed to take classes with direct career correlations. Since the Bachelor of Arts doesn’t require as many business classes, I was free to fully pursue the fi elds I was really interested in—economics and art history.

When did your classes begin to gel with a particular career path?

During the spring of my senior year, I took a class called Philanthropy in the Arts with Modlin Center director Kathy Panoff.

I had never thought of the University of Richmond as a nonprofi t before. In class we talked about all the components that go into running a nonprofi t—fundraising, development, donor relations, marketing, outreach—and I realized they all ap-plied to Richmond. It clicked for me that because of my experience as a student here, I could promote Richmond really easily!

You started working at the University two weeks after graduation—how’d it all happen so quickly?

I had been working in the alumni offi ce as a student assistant since my sopho-more year. When the assistant director for student and young graduate program-ming position opened in April, I applied. I interviewed during fi nals and found out I got the job three days after I graduated.

What’s it like working on campus so soon after graduating?

As a student, I didn’t realize how much work went into the events I now plan, like sophomore networking opportunities, senior class dinners, and the events during graduation weekend. We get help from all over campus and it’s been really inter-esting to see how everyone on campus works together. I also work with young alumni, up to 10 years out, putting on various professional development events in cities across the country. When I see friends during these events, the one thing everyone has in common is that they miss Richmond!

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Artes Liberales catches up with one Arts & Sciences graduate each issue to ask the age old question—What are you really going to do with a liberal arts degree?

Ashley Davis, “Planetarium.” Satellite images of earth taken from space were the inspiration for this piece. The artist used bright, primary colors to highlight the use of layering, the central technique in all of her paintings.

University of Richmond, Virginia 23173

Ashley Davis, ’09, built her portfolio over the summer, experimenting with new methods in acrylic paint, and will show her work at the senior art exhibit